I've been so busy reading and writing for LJ Idol (therealljidol) that I haven't been putting as much effort into driving votes to a contest that probably, in the grand scheme of things, deserves greater attention right now.

Why? Because winning the audience prize could pay for my son, KFP's, preschool tuition for the rest of the year. Now, to be sure, there's also a judged component, so even if I don't get the most votes, I could conceivably win a cash prize. However, this is the element I theoretically have some control over, so I need to refocus my efforts.

Please take a moment and go to the Baby Steps competition page to cast your vote for my video, EVEN IF YOU'VE ALREADY DONE SO! Turns out you can vote every two days, a fact I was unaware of until a friend, whose daughter is competing in the "educators" category, informed me. I'm competing in the "parents/caregivers" category.

My video is the first one on the first page, showing a still of KFP with two puppets. At first glance it might look like I'm doing well, but there's another person in the parents/caregivers category with four times as many votes, who probably figured out the multiple-votes tidbit earlier than I did.

Please boost the signal! We've been living paycheck-to-paycheck, so winning this prize could really help. I promise I will do the same for you when you need help with a promotion.